 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2024) |
| Joe Palooka | |
|---|---|
 Ham Fisher's Joe Palooka (June 25, 1939)
(Full size here) | |
| Author(s) | Ham Fisher (1930–1956) Moe Leff (1956–1959) Morris Weiss (1959–1984) |
| Illustrator(s) | Ham Fisher (1930–1955) Moe Leff (1955–1959) Tony DiPreta (1959–1984) |
| Current status/schedule | Concluded daily & Sunday strip |
| Launch date | April 19, 1930 |
| End date | November 24, 1984[1] |
| Alternate name(s) | Joe the Dumbbell |
| Syndicate(s) | McNaught Syndicate |
| Publisher(s) | Columbia Comics Harvey Comics IDW Publishing |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
Joe Palooka is an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. The strip debuted on April 19, 1930[1] and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers. It was cancelled in 1984.
The strip was adapted to a 15-minute CBS radio series, 12 feature-length films (chiefly from Monogram Pictures), nine Vitaphone film shorts, a 1954 syndicated television series (The Joe Palooka Story), comic books and merchandise, including a 1940s board game, a 1947 New Haven Clock & Watch Company wristwatch, a 1948 metal lunchbox featuring depictions of Joe, Humphrey and Little Max, and a 1946 Wheaties cereal box cut-out mask. In 1980, a mountain in Pennsylvania was named for the character.
- ^ a b Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11756-7.